Senior Care Bellevue WA: Independent Seniors

There is no mistaking that most senior citizens, as they age, would like to remain as independent as possible, and this often includes staying in their homes with some type of senior care as their need for personal care and medical services increases.

According to a survey by AARP called Home and Community Preferences of the 45+ Population, most adults want to grow older living in the home and community they know. Of the 1,616 respondents who participated in the July 2010 survey, three-quarters strongly agreed with the statement, “What I’d really like to do is stay in my current residence for as long as possible.”

In the same survey, when respondents were asked about the different aspects of their community and how important they are, two-thirds said that being near friends and family is extremely or very important to them, as well as being near places that they visit, such as grocery stores, doctors’ offices and the local library.

“(Home) is a known quantity. Your family is around you, your community is around you. It’s not a sterile, institutional situation; you’re not just a bed in a room,” explained AARP spokeswoman Christina Clem.

Of course, there is that ubiquitous baby boomer generation that is going to have its hands in defining the future of in-home care as well. There are about 6 million seniors age 65 and older who need daily assistance, 4.6 million in the community and 1.3 million in nursing homes, according to the AARP Public Policy Institute. But because of the boomer generation, these figures are going to keep rising.